Potential Gains on Farms

Short dry-off periods: A short story with great success

In 2009, a project supported by Novalait delivered technical and economic benefits on the feasibility of a short dry-off period (35 days). The Novalait steering committee made knowledge transfer a priority and collaborations for distribution, training and consulting services quickly made the short dry-off protocol accessible to farmers.
In 2011, the data from Valacta showed a rapid adoption of the short dry-off period in Quebec where the average dry-off period was seven days less than anywhere else in Canada. Dairy farmers quickly reaped the benefits of their investments in research. In 2011, the adoption of a short dry-off period resulted in the production of an additional 120kg of milk per cow, representing $3,000 per the average herd of 60 cows.

In the photo, Ms. Débora Santschi, who completed her doctoral research on short dry-off and was recruited by Valacta as an expert in nutritionand management. In discussions with owners of the DJ Lambert farm, successful adopters of the short dry-off period.

A Tool for evaluating heifer nutritional management strategies to increase savings

Novalait supported a study on dairy heifer livestock production conditions whose results appeared in a scientific article. The article is among one of the 100 most cited publications that have appeared in the Journal of Dairy Science since 2010. The project was completed as part of the Pilot Farm Network Program, an initiative established in partnership with Novalait to validate the results of promising research results on the farm. An assessment tool for evaluating nutritional management strategies for heifers, including recommendations on best practices, was developed and made available to farmers, their consultants and veterinarians. Use of the tool aims to improve the production of replacement livestock, specifically by decreasing the age of first calving. The change could potentially reduce livestock production costs by $335 per heifer or $5,000 per the average herd of 60 cows.

Evaluate your production practices – n adaptive tool for assessing replacement calves and heifers